High Water Challenges College Open Field

March 6, 2018
by David A. Brown

This week’s YETI FLW College Fishing Open on Kentucky Lake could see fish dispersed by flood conditions that have expanded the playing field. When 216 teams from around the country take to this massive Tennessee River reservoir, theirs will be a complicated task with equal measures of great potential and great challenge.

Whichever team navigates the conditions best will take home a new Ranger Z175 with 115-hp outboard, while the top 21 teams will earn early qualification for the 2019 YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship.

About the fishery

Adjacent lakes separated by the Land Between the Lakes Recreation Area, Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley are linked by the 1.75-mile Barkley Canal. Both lakes are open to fishing this week, and each presents a viable option, it’s likely that Kentucky will see the majority of the fishing effort.

Completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1944, 22 miles upstream from the confluence of the Tennessee and Ohio rivers, Kentucky Dam is the longest in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) system (8,422 feet). Its reservoir, which stretches for 184 miles across Kentucky and Tennessee, is the largest in the eastern U.S., with 2,064 miles of shoreline and 160,300 surface acres at summer pool.

Both lakes offer a mix of coves and pockets, docks, shoreline wood, and grass.

Current conditions

As of 6 p.m. Monday night, Kentucky Lake stood at 364 feet. The record high was 372.5 (May 4, 2011), but this week’s level is still significantly higher than normal summer pool of 359 feet.

This is the result of inflow and outflow dynamics. First, the Tennessee River system saw double the annual average for rainfall in February, so Kentucky Lake received a lot of water. Typically, the TVA would release water at an appropriate rate to manage the lake for the desired level. However, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, with which the TVA coordinates for flood control, has directed the TVA to hold back water releases to prevent further impacts on the flooding Ohio and Mississippi rivers.

In addition to high water, anglers will contend with a cold front pushing through the area. Morning temperatures were forecast to be in the low to mid-30s, with daytime highs only reaching the mid-50s.

“I think that’s going to make an already tough bite tougher,” says Bryan College’s Nathan Bell, who partners with Cold Sands. “It’s going to be hard to get a bite.”

Dylan True, who won last year’s event on Kentucky Lake with his UT Martin teammate Matthew Lamastus, says he believes that some of the lake’s fish are moving shallow, but many are still holding on prespawn staging areas such as points. The difficulty will be reaching those staging fish.

“All the places we caught them last year are 15 to 20 feet deep,” he says. “It’s hard to get down there – if there are still fish down there.”

Tactics in play

Lacking any practice consistency, Sands says he and Bell plan on hopping around several spots and junk-fishing.

“We’re just going to stick to main-lake rock and beat that to death to catch a limit,” he says. “Then we might go up shallow and flip to try and catch a big one.”

Bethel University’s John Garrett, who lives 30 minutes from Kentucky Lake, says he thinks the winning team will commit to flipping shallow shoreline cover, cranking outside the shoreline cover or fishing current breaks.

“The fish are in the same current break areas they were a couple of weeks ago, which is on the main river. They just have 10 more feet of water on them,” Garrett says. “Last week, we were throwing a Strike King KVD 1.5, and this week we’re throwing an 8.0 and a 5XD.

“Also, there aren’t as many fish on those current breaks because there’s more water. When the river is skinny, there are more fish on the current breaks.”

Critical factors

Water-level impacts are undeniable, but wind will also play a major role. The day-one forecast calls for southwest winds of 15 mph, but day two will bring strong northwest winds. The different directions will likely scramble a few game plans. Strong winds could create a time challenge, too, as anglers navigate open waters.

Dock Talk

In terms of what Kentucky Lake will yield this week, Sands says it’s anyone’s guess.

“The lake is changing so fast, and it’s so inconsistent right now,” he says. “There are people who were catching fish last week who aren’t catching them this week. I think someone’s going to luck up and find a decent bag of fish, but I still don’t think it’s going to take a lot of weight to win. I think 16 to 17 pounds a day will have a really good shot at winning.”

Garrett says he’d normally want to run past Paris, Tenn., as far as New Johnsonville, but given the projected rough conditions, he’ll limit his run to the Paris area.

“I can see it taking 18 a day to win, and I can see it taking up to 20 a day to win,” Garrett says. “There are a lot of big fish, and they’re eating good. You just have to get around them.

“I think it’s going to be a grind, but I think it’s going to take some good weight to win.”

If any statement summarizes the current Kentucky Lake flood situation, it’s this from University of North Georgia’s Levi Baker: “I caught a fish today by flipping a picnic table.”

Tournament details

Dates: March 6-7, 2018

Host: Kentucky Lake Convention & Visitors Bureau

Format: All teams will compete for two days. The winners will be determined by the heaviest cumulative two-day weight.

Underway on the Potomac

For the tournament, the wind isn’t forecast to be too strong any day, and the tides will be fairly standard, but not ideal from a timing standpoint. Today, low tide was at 6:15 a.m., and low tide on Saturday will be at 8:15. That means that pros will mostly be fishing a rising tide through the tournament, with the best windows likely coming early on Friday and Saturday. READ MORE »

August 1, 2019

From the All-American to the Cup

Brennon McCord is a self-described quiet, easygoing guy, but the 22-year-old T-H Marine FLW Bass Fishing League All-American champion hopes to make some Lake Hamilton noise in his first FLW Cup appearance. For the moment, understandably so, he’s still basking in the afterglow of a victory that earned what he calls the biggest honor of his career. READ MORE »

July 18, 2019

Go-Time Again on Champlain

Each of the last three years have seen the Costa FLW Series Northern Division presented by Gajo Baits kick off on Champlain. This tournament, which is presented by Polaris, should offer great fishing like usual, but the dominant pattern certainly won’t be spawning smallmouths. Instead, it could be a largemouth slugfest, as the fishing has continued to prove strong on the south end of the lake. READ MORE »

July 16, 2019

McCaghren Ready for Hamilton

Billy McCaghren spends a lot of his free time coaching 8- to 10-year-old boys on how to swing and catch; but when the FLW Cup visits Hot Springs August 9-11, the Arkansas pro is hopeful that some of his young baseball players will be able to swing by and see the Lake Hamilton bass he plans on catching. READ MORE »

June 23, 2019

High School Championship Top 10 Baits

June is typically ledge-fishing season in the Tennessee Valley, especially at Pickwick, but the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship was a more diverse event than most folks might have expected. Patterns ranging from junk-fishing the bank to targeting docks and other shoreline cover to working the main-lake ledges all worked. Here are the baits used by the top 10 teams during the week. READ MORE »

June 22, 2019

Cicero and Snyder Win World Finals

Anthony Cicero IV and Dakota Snyder went right to their spot, locked up a big limit early and about six and a half hours later, brought what would be the winning sack of 16 pounds, 6 ounces to McFarland Park where the Elizabethtown High School duo won the 10th Annual High School Fishing World Finals. READ MORE »

June 22, 2019

World Finals Midday Update - Day 4

Pickwick is big lake, but even this 53-mile long TVA reservoir gets weary and the first half of the day told a tale of occasional opportunity, but a lot of waiting and hoping as 31 teams competed in the final day of the 10th annual High School Fishing World Finals. READ MORE »

June 21, 2019

Northlake Christian Wins By An Ounce

Northlake Christian High School’s Christopher Capdeboscq and Sam Acosta weighed 9 pounds, 7 ounces (three fish) on the final day to win the High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake. With a three-day total weight of 35-12, Capdeboscq and Acosta had just a 1-ounce margin over the second-place team of Colin McCullough and Justin Hamlin who tallied 35-11 for Cedar Bluff High School. READ MORE »

June 21, 2019

High School Midday Update - Day 3

Timing is typically the key to success on most TVA reservoirs and Pickwick Lake seems to be dishing out the lessons during day three of the High School Fishing National Championship, held in conjunction with the 10th Annual High School Fishing World Finals. READ MORE »

June 20, 2019

High School Midday Update – Day 2

Pickwick showed off its impressive diversity during day two of the High School Fishing National Championship, which is held in conjunction with the High School Fishing World Finals. End-to-end, this Tennessee River reservoir stretches about 53 miles, and, while the offshore ledge game gets most of the attention, anglers were also leveraging the lake's many other fishable features. READ MORE »

June 20, 2019

Northlake Christian Takes the Lead

Weights are stacked tight atop the standings of the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake. Moving into the lead position is the Northlake Christian team of Christopher Capdeboscq and Sam Acosta, who added 12 pounds, 14 ounces today for a two-day total of 26-5. Will Daniels and Kade Suratt added an impressive three-bass limit worth 15-12 today to move up one spot and into the lead in the High School Fishing World Finals. READ MORE »

June 19, 2019

Bedford, Brown Lead at Pickwick

Weighing in a three-fish limit of bass that averaged more than 4 1/2 pounds apiece has JD Bedford and Walker Brown of Lawrence County High School in the driver’s seat at the 2019 High School Fishing National Championship on Pickwick Lake. Keegan Fort and Clayton Page lead the High School Fishing World Finals with a three-fish limit worth 14 pounds, 5 ounces. READ MORE »

June 19, 2019

High School Midday Update – Day 1

Some things on Pickwick Lake were as expected, but some were less so during day one of the dual High School Fishing National Championship and High School Fishing World Finals. Predictably, offshore patterns seem to be dominating the day, particularly traditional ledge scenarios below the Natchez Trace Bridge. Crankbaits, jigs, swimbaits and big worms were the common presentations. READ MORE »

June 18, 2019

Top High Schoolers Headed for Pickwick

This week, the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) reservoir touching Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama pulls double duty for a joint production of the High School Fishing National Championship (Wednesday-Friday) and the 10th annual Student Angler Federation High School Fishing World Finals (Wednesday-Saturday). READ MORE »

June 13, 2019

Let the Rayburn Catchfest Begin

We’re five months later into the year now, and while the water level at Rayburn has fluctuated in the months since the Tour event, it’s still about 4 1/2 feet above full pool as anglers take to Big Sam for the Costa FLW Series Southwestern Division event presented by Mercury. READ MORE »

June 4, 2019

National Championship Gets Going

Bright and early this morning, 148 teams of the best college bass anglers in the country rolled out for day one of the YETI FLW College Fishing National Championship presented by Lowrance on the Potomac River. The 10th annual National Championship is the culmination of the 2018 season, and the winning duo qualifies for the 2019 FLW Cup and earns a new Ranger boat for its club. READ MORE »

May 30, 2019

All-American Underway on the Potomac

Winning the T-H Marine Bass Fishing League (BFL) All-American is a lifetime accomplishment, and this week, 49 boaters and co-anglers will have the chance to do it on the Potomac River. Presented by General Tire, the crowning event of the BFL season runs May 30 through June 1, and the winner on the boater side will walk away with $120,000 and a trip to the FLW Cup. READ MORE »

May 20, 2019

Top 10 Patterns from Clear Lake

An unwavering commitment to one fish-laden area enabled Kyle Grover to earn his first Costa FLW Series win with a three-day total of 66 pounds, 13 ounces at the Western Division event at Clear Lake. The tournament was presented by Ranger Boaters and hosted by Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina. READ MORE »

May 19, 2019

Top 10 Baits from Clear Lake

Even though cold, windy and rainy conditions challenged the field throughout the event, Clear Lake still showed the caliber of fish that swim in it during the second stop of the Costa FLW Series Western Division season, which was presented by Ranger Boats. READ MORE »

May 18, 2019

Huntze Closes Door for Co-angler W

Logan Huntze, the youngest competitor in the co-angler field, showed that age is just a number, as the 19-year-old earned a convincing Clear Lake victory at the Costa FLW Series Western Division event presented by Ranger Boats by amassing a three-day total of 57 pounds, 15 ounces. READ MORE »